A Troubled Past
Not a "Friendly Neighbor"
Although their name may have that ring, Canadian Solar is not our "Friendly Neighbor to the North." From U.S. tariff dodging, to human rights abuses, alleged patent infringements, and taxpayer subsidies.
They are far from having American interests and values at heart.
HISTORY OF WOES
U.S. TARIFF DODGING
Canadian Solar, like other Chinese solar companies looking to gain an unfair advantage in the U.S., has used third country processing facilities in countries like Thailand and Vietnam before importing products into American markets, to avoid paying tariffs and duties.
Per The Hill's 2022 report, "[a] Commerce official confirmed on a call with reporters Friday morning that the investigation found four companies were engaged in circumvention: BYD Hong Kong, Canadian Solar, Vina Solar and Trina."
FORCED LABOR
In 2021 four shipments from Canadian Solar were seized by the US authorities in a crackdown on goods with links to the genocide and forced labour of the Uyghurs.
The 2021 Sheffield Hallam Report, In Broad Daylight: Uyghur Forced Labour and Global Solar Supply Chains, noted that Canadian Solar operates a solar power generation facility in the XPCC 3rd Division city of Tumxuk, Xinjiang, and likely benefit from that relationship with the XPCC (the Chinese Communist Party's paramilitary organization in Xinjiang, heavily implicated in genocide).
SANCTIONS
In June 2021 a subsidiary of Canadian Solar’s supplier GCL-Poly, GCL-New Energy Material Technology Co., Ltd., was sanctioned by the US Commerce Department.
Canadian Solar proudly announced a Joint Venture manufacturing sight with GCL-Poly in 2014, which can be seen here: CANADIAN SOLAR ANNOUNCES JOINT VENTURE WITH GCL-POLY IN CHINA
Intellectual Property Theft
Per Reuters' reporting in March 2024, "Maxeon Solar said on Monday it had initiated a patent infringement lawsuit against solar technology firm Canadian Solar in the Eastern District of Texas. The lawsuit alleged infringement of Maxeon's patents related to TOPCon solar cell technology."
This is not Canadian Solar's first foray into intellectual property theft. In 2020, Solaria Corporation sued Canadian Solar for patent infringement, after a judge found that "Canadian Solar, a Chinese solar panel manufacturer, violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, in their importation of shingled solar modules."
U.s. Taxpayer Subsidies
Looting your tax Dollars
Per the Inflation Reduction Act's 45X production tax credit, China is estimated to profit to the tune of hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Canadian Solar will be the beneficiary of these subsidies, per Forbes reporting, "Commerce says Canadian Solar was circumventing tariffs, but their factory in the United States will qualify them for untold millions in tax benefits."